Journalist Sasha Abramsky reads from and discusses The House of Twenty Thousand Books, the story of Chimen Abramsky, an extraordinary polymath and bibliophile who asassed a vast collection of socialist literature and Jewish history, Book Passage, 1 Ferry Building, San Francisco, 6:00

Fiction writer, poet, and musician Mark Russell Gelade celebrates the release of his new, debut short story collection, Navigating by Stars: 24 Very Short Stories of Love and Longing, stories centered around desire, divorce, nostalgia for the past, and consolation, Green Apple Books on the Park, 1231 9th Avenue, San Franciso, free, 7:30 (415/742-5833, www.greenapplebooks.com)